Young Love
by kmacdonald
Summary: Kate's father is going to visit a friend in Forks, Washington for the summer, and Kate decides to go with him. There she meets Seth Clearwater, who is almost four years her junior, and has a really hard time trying to stay away from him. Seth Imprint.
1. Chapter 1

It was an uncharacteristically warm and sunny day for the first of April. The birds were chirping loudly, the trees were starting to come out in leaves, and there were shoots of flowers already starting to pop out of the ground. The grass was turning greener by the hour, and the air was warm enough for just a light hoodie. It was the kind of day that urged you to go to the beach for the first time in months, or to go to the park, or just simply to get outside and go for a walk. I, however, was doing none of these, but instead sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by papers and text books, studying for my finals at the end of the week.

The door slammed open, and I glanced up to see my father hanging up his jacket and holster. I frowned and looked at the clock.

"You're home early," I said sitting up a little straighter. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all," he grunted, trying to pull off his boots without falling over. "It's just been pretty quiet lately, so the chief let me come home early."

"That was nice of him." I looked down at my books and sighed.

He looked at me as he headed to the fridge. "You been studying all day?"

"Yeah," I replied again. "Well, since about 9:30, anyway."

"You should take a break." Dad sounded concerned. "You've been working really hard lately. You must know it all by now."

"I think I've got most of it down pact," I replied, thumbing through my text book. "But I'm just going to go over it once more, and then I think I'll be good."

He pulled a beer out of the fridge, and opened it with a pop that made me jump. I glared up at him, and he grinned back. He sobered up a bit and looked at the counter.

"Your mom called today."

I stiffened slightly at the mention of my mother, and looked back at my book. I took a breath. "That's good."

"Aren't you even going to ask how she is?" he asked, knowing what the answer was going to be.

"Sorry," I apologized, not really sorry at all. "And how is mummy dearest?"

"Katherine," Dad warned. "We've talked about this. You do not talk about your mother like that."

"Yes, Dad, we have talked about it," I snapped, hurrying to gather up my notes. "I don't care what she does with her life. She walked out of mine almost ten years ago; in my eyes, I have no mother."

"Don't leave," Dad said as I went to storm out. "Just sit back down and listen to me. Please?"

I rolled my eyes and turned to face him. "What is it, Dad? I have to finish."

"She wants you to go see her in California for the summer," he said. "Instead of us going somewhere together."

"No." I turned on my heel and marched out of the kitchen and up the stairs to my room. I heard dad put down his beer and come after me.

"Katy, just think about it," he begged. "I know you don't want to talk to her, but she is your mother. You haven't seen her or spoken to her in five years. You owe to her."

"I don't owe her anything!" I growled, turning on him. "I'm not thinking about it, my answer is no. I'm not going to see her."

He opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind and closed it again, shaking his head. He left my room and went back downstairs. A moment later, I heard the TV turn on to the sports network.

I flopped down onto my bed face first, and screamed, my pillow muffling the sound. These were the only times that Dad and I ever agreed on anything; when my mother called. She was always wanting me to see her, to talk to her, but I refused.

I looked at my books, deciding whether to keep studying or not. It was decided a moment later when my stomach growled audibly. I looked at my alarm clock, and decided that any more would have to wait until after supper. I jumped to my feet and ran down the stairs to start something to eat.

Supper that night was more quiet than usual, which was saying something as we usually didn't talk a whole lot anyway. Dad ate his spaghetti with his usual fervour, but I found that once the food was cooked, I wasn't hungry any more. I pushed the food around my plate absent-mindedly.

"Listen, Katy," Dad said after a while.

"Dad, I don't want to go," I sighed. "I want nothing to do with that woman, and, I'm sorry, but you can't make me."

"That's not what I was going to say," he raised his eyebrow at me and smirked. "But thank you for letting me know. What I really was going to say, is that you'll be done of school in two weeks, and we still haven't made plans for the summer."

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I said sheepishly. "I don't care where we go. We could go back to Orlando, like last year. We had fun there."

"Well, yes, we could," he replied. "But I was thinking, maybe we could go somewhere you've never been."

"Like where?" I asked suspiciously, arching one eyebrow.

"A friend of mine invited me to come visit him this summer, in Washington."

"D.C.?"

"Nope," he replied. "Washington State. Not too far from Seattle."

"Oh…why do you a friend from Washington?"

"We went to the police academy together," he said. "But I haven't seen him since your mother and mine's wedding."

"Wow, that's a while ago," I was surprised. "But yeah, sure, I guess we could go there."

"Good!" he smiled fondly at me. "I'll call Charlie later this evening to tell him. I'm sure you'll really like it there. He's got a daughter that's about your age."

"Okay, I'm fine with that."

The week of my exams were the most stressful of my life. During the walk from my house on Cherry Street to the campus of Dalhousie University, I reviewed my notes, almost walking out in front of cars several times. I wrote all seven exams in a span of five days, which didn't give me a whole lot of time to review in between. I had no choice but to only pray that I had remembered everything right.

I got home at lunch time on the day of my last exam, only to find my father waiting for me in the kitchen. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue flannel button shirt, and there were three bags in the porch.

"What's going on?" I asked, throwing my backpack down on a chair.

"I figured we could leave a few days early," Dad replied. "We can take the car and drive to Charlie's."

My mouth dropped open. "We're driving? From Nova Scotia to Washington? Are you kidding me?"

"Some how I knew this would be the reaction," he sighed, sitting down. "Look, Katy, I thought this would be a good idea. In the past few years you've been so busy with school that I feel that we've grown apart. I thought this little road trip would be a good way to reconnect. You know, have fun, like we used to."

"Dad -" I was going to object, but I looked at Dad's sad eyes, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. "That's a great idea. But my bags aren't packed yet."

"I'll wait," he shrugged. "There's a game on soon anyway. I'll watch that while you pack, and we'll leave by supper time."

"Sure. Yeah, sure, Dad, that sounds great. I'll go pack now."

I picked my bag up again and ran upstairs. I was surprised when I walked into my room and saw a new set of suitcases laying on the foot of my bed.

"Bought you a present," Dad smiled from the doorway. "For passing."

"Dad, I just wrote my exams," I shook my head. "I could have failed all my classes for all you know."

"Don't be stupid," he laughed. "You've worked hard all year. You'll pass with top marks, like usual. Now hurry up. I want to be out of here by five." He left the room, and I set myself to packing as fast as I could.

We were on the road sooner than we had thought. After stopping for a quick bite at a drive-thru window, we began our journey West across the country. I loved my Dad to death, and we did have fun, but I was unsure as to how I was going to handle driving across the country with him alone in a small car.

Five days later, we finally crossed the border into the United States. I was excited to be closer to our destination, not because I couldn't wait to be there, but because my father was starting to drive me insane, and I couldn't wait to get out of the car. We had stopped in many places along the way, which was pretty entertaining, but there were also hours upon hours of driving. When Dad wasn't trying to get me to open up about my personal life (who wants to talk to Daddy about boyfriends?) he was singing loudly to Waylon Jennings. It was a good thing that his gun was safely packed in the trunk, because I literally wanted to shoot myself.

I fell asleep as we were bypassing Seattle. The mid-day sun was shining brightly through the window, but I was exhausted from driving so long, so I passed out completely.

I dreamt I was walking in the woods, alone, and I was scared. I knew someone was following me, but every time I turned around to look, there was no one there. There was a snapping sound to my left, and I jumped around to look. My breath caught in my chest as a horse-sized, sandy brown wolf slipped from between the trees. He was walking slowly towards me, and I found that I wasn't overly scared. He had huge, chocolate brown eyes, and I felt myself falling into them.

I woke up to my father's face right in front of mine.

"Ahhh!" I cried, pushing him away, hard. "Oh my God, Dad, don't do that to me."

He laughed and rubbed his chest, where I had hit him. "Calm down, Katy. We're here."

"Where?" I asked, peering into the dark. In front of me was a small, neat-looking white house. Parked in the driveway was a police cruiser and a silver Volvo.

"Charlie's house."

"Are we not going straight to the hotel?" I asked.

"We're not staying at a hotel," he replied, opening the trunk. "We're going to stay here with Charlie and his daughter, Bella."

"Are you serious?" I groaned. "I thought we were staying at a hotel."

"We were," Dad explained. "But when I said it to Charlie, he demanded that we stay here instead. Now get out and help me take these bags in."

I pulled myself out of the car and unloaded my suitcases. The door of the house was suddenly pulled open, and a group of people came out. The one in the lead was a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and a moustache. I assumed this was Charlie. There was a young woman coming behind him, his daughter, I thought. She was very pretty, with dark hair and eyes, but my eyes were quickly caught by the young man behind her. He was stunning; he had ice pale skin and strangely coloured eyes, almost an orangy-brown.

_Wow, _I thought to myself. _He is beautiful._

The young man smirked as though he had heard my thought, and looked right at me, causing me to blush madly. I dropped my gaze and picked up the first suitcase.

"Hello, Charlie!" Dad said, walking forward to shake the older man's hand. "It's been a long time."

"Has it ever," Charlie replied. "And this must be your daughter?"

"Yes, this is Katy," Dad grabbed me by the hand and pulled me forward to meet his friend.

"Nice to meet you," I smiled at him. "I've heard lots about you."

"Oh, God, what have you been telling her, Vince?" Charlie laughed. He turned and motioned the other two to come closer. "This is my daughter, Bella. And that's Edward," he added with less enthusiasm. "Her boyfriend."

"Hi," Bella smiled, holding out her hand. I shook it, shocked to find it to be so cold. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," I said.

"Hello, Katy," Edward said politely. "I hope you enjoy your stay here in Forks."

"Oh, it's actually Kate," I said, sounding like an idiot. "Only my Dad still calls me Katy."

"Kate, then," he smiled, and I felt my heart beat faster.

"Well, let's get your stuff inside," Charlie said, picking up one of my father's suitcases. "You must be tired."

"Yeah, kind of," I admitted.

"Here, I'll help," Edward said. Before I could say a word, he had picked up two of my suitcases and carried them towards the house as though they weighed nothing.

"Thanks," I said, following him clumsily as I tried to carry my bag up the steps. Bella followed close behind me, and our fathers brought up the rear.

"You're staying in my room with me," Bella said, as we made our way up the stairs. "I hope it's okay."

"It's fine," I said as we walked through the door. I dropped my suitcase heavily on the floor. "All I really need it a bed."

"Well, that it has," she smiled. "So, Dad said that you go to university?"

"Yeah," I replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm a nursing student."

"Well that's ambitious," Edward commented.

"You'd get along great with Carlisle," Bella smiled. "Edward's father is a doctor here in Forks."

"Oh, really?" I asked politely. "Well that's pretty cool. I'll probably meet him at some point over the summer." Bella looked confused, so I explained. "I don't exactly have the best luck. It's a pretty safe bet that I'll need to be stitched up at some point."

"Sounds like someone else I know," Edward said, grinning at Bella. She glared back at him.

I tried to hide the huge yawn that escaped my mouth, but Edward noticed and smiled. "We should let you get to sleep. I'm sure you've had a long drive."

"Oh you have no idea," I grinned wryly. "Love my Dad to death, but five days in a car with him is enough to make me homicidal."

Bella laughed. "Yes, I can understand that completely."

Both moved towards the door, but Bella stopped and turned back to me. "Are you planning anything for tomorrow? Maybe we could introduce you to some people."

"Yeah, sure," I agreed immediately. "That would be great."

"Alright. Well, I'll be back in to bed in a little while."

I nodded, and Edward led her from the room. I got up and closed the door so I could change. The previous summer, I had backpacked around Europe with a few of my school friends and had stayed in some pretty sketchy hostels, so I was perfectly fine with sharing a bed with a near stranger.

I pulled my sweater off, changed my jeans into a pair of pyjama shorts and crawled into the bed. I was asleep almost immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up in the morning face down in the pillows, and with a very full bladder. I tried to push myself up to go to the bathroom, but found that there was something heavy on my back, holding me down. I began to shake, trying to wiggle myself away from whatever was on top of me, but it was no use. I was terrified, and couldn't stop the tears that sprang to my eyes.

"Oh my God! I am so sorry," a girls voice broke through my tears, and the weight was suddenly gone.

I immediately rolled over and saw Bella Swan standing beside me, her face full of concern. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, trying to stop my sobs. "I'm fine. Really I am."

"What's wrong?" she asked, trying to sit back down. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," I let out a choking laugh. "No, I'm extremely claustrophobic. I fell in a mine shaft when I was little, and a piece of timber fell on top of me so I couldn't move. It was three days before anyone found me."

"That's horrible!" Bella covered her face with her hands. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," I smiled at her. "You didn't mean to." I felt a telltale tingle in my lower belly, and I jumped up. "I'll be right back."

I headed towards the door, but then stopped. "Um…where is the bathroom?"

"The door right at the top of the stairs," Bella replied. "I don't think there's anyone in there."

I ran down the hall to the bathroom, and slipped inside. When I walked back to Bella's room, I realized that we weren't alone, anymore. Edward was sitting on the bed beside his girlfriend, holding her hand in both of his. They both looked up when I walked in, and he grinned. Immediately, my hand went to my hair, and I blushed.

"Good morning," Edward greeted me. "Or rather, good afternoon. How would you like to meet my family today?"

Afternoon? I looked at the alarm clock and saw that it was, indeed, after lunch. Wow, I must have been really tired last night.

"Um…yeah, sure," I agreed. "Do they want to meet me?"

"Of course they do," Bella replied, smiling. "Alice and Emmett, especially."

"Oh, God," Edward shook his head slowly, grimacing. "Maybe we shouldn't take her after all. Alice is going to go nuts with her."

"Going to go nuts with me?" I looked at him, but he ignored me.

"How do you know?" Bella asked him.

"Look at her," he motioned to me with his hand. "She's like her perfect Barbie doll."

"Oh she is now, is she?" Bella leaned back and looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

"I said Alice's perfect Barbie!" he said quickly. "Not mine. I already have mine." He took her hand and kissed it gently, making her blush.

I felt like I was intruding on their space, but they had just been talking to me, right? So I sat on the chair in the corner and waited until they noticed me.

"So yes?" Edward asked, returning his attention to me after a moment. "You want to come?"

"Yeah, for sure." I smiled politely at him. "I just have to do something with my hair and fine something decent to wear."

"Don't bother getting pretty," Bella said dryly to me. "Alice is going to give you a makeover, whether you want one or not."

"Oh, really?" I was kind of excited about that. "That's fine; I actually love getting my hair and make-up done."

"She is going to love you," Edward laughed. "Well, I'll go downstairs to let you girls get ready. Don't take too long, Alice and Esme are both really anxious to meet you."

"Esme?"

"My mother." he replied. And he left us to get ready.

Bella took her clothes and headed to the bathroom to change, so I closed the door and quickly changed into a pair of black yoga pants and a white long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of red converse. I pulled my hair up into a loose bun and grabbed my toothbrush. As I was walking down the hall, Bella came out of the bathroom, and I was relieved to see that she wasn't dressed any better than I was.

I brushed and flossed my teeth quickly, and then ran downstairs. They were both waiting by the door for me. I pulled on my sneakers, and we all went out to get into Edward's car.

We drove for a few minutes, talking about nothing in particular. Then we pulled off the main road and onto a small dirt road that was almost completely hidden by trees. I didn't realize until we got to the end of it, that it wasn't a road at all, but a driveway. We pulled into a huge yard and I finally saw the house.

"Holy shit!" I gasped. "This place is amazing."

"Thanks," Edward laughed, pulling up beside a Mercedes. "It's home."

"This isn't a home," I said, crawling out of the back seat. "This is a mansion. How many people live here?"

"There are seven of us," he said, taking Bella's hand and leading us towards the house.

Before we even got to the top of the stairs, the door was pulled open, and the smallest girl that I have ever seen stood there, smiling widely at us. Or, was it aimed specifically at me?

"Hi!" she cried, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm Alice."

"Oh, hi," I replied, rubbing my ribs. "I'm Kate."

"Oh, I know," she said in her musical voice. "Edward told us that you were coming here today. I think we're going to be great friends."

I nodded dumbly, not really knowing what to say.

"Alice, you could have waited until we got in the house before you attacked her," Edward sighed behind me.

Alice giggled and moved out of the doorway so we could walk into the house. There I stopped again. There were five others standing in the living room, and I immediately felt underdressed.

"Hello." A tall, blonde man walked up to me, his arm around the waist of a beautiful woman with caramel coloured hair. "I'm Carlisle, Edward's father. And this is my wife, Esme."

"His parents?" I asked in shock. Neither of them looked like they were older than twenty-five.

"Adopted," Edward clarified from behind me.

"Oh, okay." I blushed. "It's nice to meet you."

"And you," Esme smiled. "It's always a pleasure to meet Edward's friends."

"This is Jasper," Alice said, taking the hand of another blonde male. I couldn't help but notice that he seemed to be in some kind of pain.

"Hi," I waved lamely.

"Hello," he said softly.

"I'm Emmett," said a boy from the back. I was a little intimidated; he was easily the biggest person I had ever seen in my life. But he smiled happily at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. "And this here is Rosalie."

As I looked at the entire family, I couldn't help but notice that, despite the kids being adopted, they all shared some pretty obvious traits. Like the pale skin, and the strangely coloured eyes. And the fact that they were all the most devastatingly beautiful people that I had ever seen.

"Hi," I nodded to them. "It's good to meet you."

"Whatever," Rosalie snapped. "I've met her; can I go now?"

Esme sighed sadly, but Carlisle nodded. The beautiful Rosalie turned on her heel and stormed from the room. Emmett sighed, and followed her out.

"Now, let's do your makeover," Alice cried, taking me by the hand. I was surprised by how cold her hand was. But then again, she didn't have a whole lot of body fat to work with; maybe she was just always cold.

Two hours later, I emerged from Alice's bedroom. Bella gasped, Edward smiled, and Emmett wolf whistled, much to Rosalie's displeasure. She got up and left the room. Emmett shrugged and followed her.

"I look okay?" I asked hesitantly. I had never had so much done to me in my life, and I felt mildly uncomfortable.

"Amazing," Bella smiled. "You look way better than I ever do."

"That's because she doesn't squirm and complain the whole time," Alice told her, grinning. "But yes, you do look amazing. Best I've ever done, I think."

"You look beautiful, dear," Esme smiled. "You really do." Carlisle nodded in agreement.

I looked down, at the clothes that I now had on. I was dressed in an above-the-knee blue silk dress that hugged my hips perfectly. It had a sweetheart neckline and thin spaghetti straps, and it shimmered in the light. On my feet, which were freshly pedicured, were a pair of simple black peep-toed pumps with a small black satin bow on the top. Alice had washed, dried and styled my hair, so now it hung down my back and over my shoulders in sweeping auburn waves. My makeup was natural, but I had never looked so good in my life. I don't know how Alice managed to do it all, and in such a short time.

"What do you think?" Alice asked me nervously as I studied my reflection in a mirror.

"I look amazing," I muttered, not sure if she would hear me or not.

"Of course you do," she cried, hugging me again. "I worked my magic, again."

I laughed with her, and Edward shook his head, grinning.

Bella's phone rang loudly, scaring me. She fumbled in her pocket for a minute before answering it.

"Hello?" she said, walking away from us. "Jake! Hi, how are you?"

I noticed Edward's expression darken, and he looked at the phone like he wanted to take it from her and smash it. Instead, he just followed her into the kitchen.

"Thank you, so much, Alice," I said, smiling broadly at her. "I really appreciate this. I've never looked this good before in my life."

"It was fun," she replied. "And, really, you are one of the most stunning girls I've ever worked with. Even without the make up."

I blushed, and smiled at her. "Well, thank you."

"You look lovely."

I turned and saw Jasper walking down the stairs. He smiled at me, looking me directly in the eye. I looked away quickly, not being able to handle people looking into my eyes.

"Thank you," I murmured. "Alice did a great job; she's a miracle worker."

"I just add to what's already there," Alice said sternly. "You really are a beautiful girl."

I grinned back at her, but was prevented from thanking her again by Bella and Edward coming back into the room, arguing softly.

"Oh, come on, Edward," Alice called, skipping over to them. "Just let her go this once. I mean, it's not like she'll be alone, after all. Kate will be going with her."

"Going where?" I asked, frowning in my confusion.

"To a bonfire and barbeque," Alice explained. Edward frowned at his sister, but didn't say a word. "Bella's friend Jacob invited you guys, but Edward doesn't want her to go."

"How did you know that?" I asked.

"Because he never wants her to go," she replied. "He's a little overprotective."

"No," I clarified quickly. "That her friend called? How did you know that?"

"Oh," she giggled. "I'm psychic."

It was quiet for a moment, the only sound being Edward's low groan, and then I couldn't help it, I burst into laughter.

"A psychic?" I laughed. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." No one else was laughing. I stopped, still grinning. Edward was glaring at his sister, and Bella was giving me a sheepish look.

"Alrighty, then." I stopped, and looked at my hands folded in front of me. "Well, why don't you want us to go?" I looked at Edward.

"Because I don't like Bella being around them alone," he almost growled. "I don't trust them, Jake especially."

"Well, then why don't you just go with her? It would be better than trying to make her not go at all."

"We're not allowed in La Push," Jasper said from beside me. "We don't really get along with the guys down there."

"Oh," I was shocked. "You mean, there's like a restraining order."

"Yeah, something like that." I looked at Jasper, and saw that he was smirking about something. Weird.

"But, we can go, right?" I said, breaking a moment of silence. "I mean, I'll be there, so she won't be alone. And I won't let her get hurt."

Edward laughed harshly. "Sorry, but I don't think you'd really be able to do anything against these guys. They're pretty tough."

"Don't underestimate her, Edward," Alice admonished. "I can see that she's a pretty tough person, herself. I think she would be okay, going with Bella."

Edward looked right at me for a moment, and then shook his head in defeat.

"Fine," he snapped. "You can go." Bella grinned and hugged him, and I clapped happily. "But," he continued, "I am driving you there, and picking you up. And if anything happens, anything at all, I want you to call me immediately. Understand?"

"Completely," she smiled, kissing his cheek. "I promise we'll be alright. And nothing worth mentioning will happen tonight."

"You can't know that," he frowned.

"Ask Alice," I joked.

"I can't see them," Alice said quickly. "I don't know why," she looked between the other in the room, "but I can't."

"Oh, sorry."

"So when are you going?" Alice asked.

My stomach growled angrily, breaking the tension in the room and everyone laughed. I blushed madly.

"Now, I guess," Edward chuckled. "It sounds like Kate's pretty hungry."

I smiled embarrassedly, and nodded. "Yeah, I didn't get a chance to eat this morning."

"Are you going to wear that?" Bella asked me, nodding at my outfit.

"Oh, no, I should change," I said, turning to go back upstairs.

"Wait!" Alice stopped me. Her face was a little blank. "I think you should wear this."

"But I'm going to a bonfire," I argued. "In April. It'll going to be cold."

"I'll give you a sweater," she grinned. "But you have to wear this. You'll understand later." She ran up the stairs with inhuman grace.

"Okay?" I was confused, but I let Alice the Psychic do her thing. A moment later, she was back, a plain, black cardigan in her hands.

"Here." She helped me into it, and she looked me over. "It looks better without it, but there's nothing we can do about that now. You have to get going."

Bella took my arm, and led me to the door. Edward took a bag from Alice that had my old clothes in it. She grabbed his arm and held him there for a moment. I blessed my strangely good hearing when I heard her say, "I can't see her anymore, Edward. You know what that means."

I frowned, but shook the thought from my mind. I liked Alice, she seemed really sweet, but she thought she was psychic. How weird was that? And, for some reason, the rest of the family, Bella included, believed her. Maybe they were just humouring her? Yeah, that must be it.


	3. Chapter 3

Edward drove for about fifteen minutes in silence before pulling off to the side of the road. I noticed that there was an old truck parked on the other side of the road, about two hundred yards away. I clambered out of the backseat and out into the brisk April air. Immediately, goose bumps appeared on my skin, and I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to keep myself warm. Edward stopped Bella in front of the car and wrapped her in his arms. He kissed her intensely, and I felt slightly embarrassed to be standing with them. I looked around me at the trees to keep myself from staring at them. Standing next to the truck was a Native American man, wearing nothing but cut-off shorts, a t-shirt and a pair of sneakers.

_How is he not freezing? _I wondered as I fought back a shiver.

"You ready?" Bella asked after a minute. I turned back to them, and her face was beet red.

"Yep."

Bella grabbed my hand and we hurried across the road as fast as we could. Even in my heels, I was more graceful than she was, and I had to hold her up a few times when she stumbled.

As we drew nearer to the truck, I looked up to get a better look at the man. My mouth dropped open before I could stop it; he was bigger than anyone I had ever seen, even Emmett, and was also extremely good-looking. He had the typical dark, copper coloured skin and black hair that is to be expected from a Native, and deep brown eyes. He was smiling broadly as we neared him, and I couldn't help but relax and smile back.

"Bella!" he ran over to us, and Bella's hand was ripped out of mine as he picked her up in a big bear hug and swung her around in a circle. "It's been too long."

"It's good to see you, too, Jake," she laughed when he put her down.

"Who's this?" he asked, smiling at me.

"Jacob, this is Kate," Bella introduced us. "Kate, this is my friend Jacob." I heard that she carefully stressed the 'friend' part. "Kate's dad and Charlie are good friends, so they are staying with us for the summer."

"Nice to meet you, Kate," Jake said. He held his hand out, and I took it, expecting to shake, but instead, he pulled me into a tight hug. He was insanely warm, and the moment he wrapped his arms around me, I decided that I never wanted him to let go. He did, though, and we all climbed up into the truck, with Bella in the middle.

"Can we turn the heat up?" Bella asked. "I know I'm cold, and Kate's not exactly dressed the warmest."

"Yeah sure," Jake replied, turning the heat up full blast. "I was wondering, why are you dressed like that?" My face must have fell, because he quickly added, "Not that it's bad or anything. You look really good, actually. I was just wondering why? It's not really warm enough for clothes like that."

"Alice gave me a makeover and then wouldn't let me change," I explained, not knowing if he knew Alice or not.

"Well that wasn't very nice of her," he smiled at me. "If you want, we can stop at my place and get a sweater or something."

"I'm sure I'll be fine once I get close to the fire," I assured him.

"Alright, then."

He and Bella chatted for a couple of minutes, leaving me to my own thoughts. The cab of the truck got really warm, but it was cozy.

After only a couple of minutes, Jacob pulled the truck in front of house, and got out. Bella and I jumped out of our door, and he led the way down a path through the woods. I took up the back of the line, so I could walk more carefully in my heels. There was a break in the trees ahead of us, and Jake lead us out onto the beach. In the near distance, I could see a huge bonfire with people standing all around it and sitting on logs and lawn chairs.

The moment I stepped out of the trees and into the sand, my heels sank, and I lost my balance. I steadied myself and took another dozen steps before my ankle twisted and I sank onto my knees in the sand.

"Ahh!" I cried out, but Bella and Jake were too far away to hear me, and neither one seemed to realize that I wasn't with them anymore.

I decided that I would prefer to deal with Alice's wrath when she found out that I had ruined her outfit than fall in the fire, so I sat back in the sand and slipped my shoes off.

Suddenly, there was someone crouched down in the sand beside me.

"Are you okay?" asked the deep voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I laughed embarrassedly.

I looked up into the face of my companion, and my heart stopped beating. He was beautiful, with the same, flawless, dark skin as Jacob and dark hair that stood on end as though he had just run his hands through it. He had high cheekbones, making him look like nobility, and his smile was blindingly white. I glanced quickly into his eyes, with every intention of looking away again quickly, but when my eyes met his chocolate brown ones, I felt all the breath rush from my lungs, and my heart accelerated.

He gasped softly, and sank back into the sand, not looking away. His smile disappeared for a moment, and then came back with full force, and I couldn't help but grin back like an idiot. I could feel his hand move to my knee, and I quickly took it in mine. His smile grew broader, but neither of us broke eye contact.

Faintly, I could hear a voice, becoming more and more insistent.

"Seth!"

Finally, the voice broke through the spell, and both of us looked up quickly to see a beautiful young Native woman walking towards us. Her arms were swinging wildly at her sides, and she didn't look very happy. Was this maybe her boyfriend? I prayed not.

"Hey, Leah," he said dreamily, grinning up at her. "What's up?"

"Sam wants us to…Who are you?" she noticed me sitting there, with his hand in my lap. Then her eyes snapped back to his face in horror. "Seth you didn't!"

"You know I couldn't help it, Leah," he said quickly, his smile starting to fade from his face. "It just happened."

"You idiot!" she shrieked, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. The entire beach seemed to go silent as everyone turned to look at us. "How could you Seth! You of all people know - " She was starting to shake in anger.

"It's not my fault, Leah!" he was suddenly on his feet, standing between me and her. "What the hell is your problem, anyway?"

"Leah," said a new voice, and I turned and saw a man standing on the other side of Seth. "You know he has no control over it. Go, just go for a run."

"Fuck you, Sam," she snarled, before running off into the woods.

I glanced around and saw that there were four other boys all around us, facing the direction that the girl Leah had just been. The man who had spoken, Sam she had called him, sighed and looked at me, shaking his head.

"Sorry about that," he said. "Leah's got some anger issues."

"That's okay," I said quickly, pushing myself off the ground and wiping the sand off. "I know lots of people like that." I was amazed by how tall these boys all were. The man standing beside me smiled and nodded. I smiled back.

"I doubt it." Someone to my right muttered, and a couple of the others laughed.

"Sam, do you think I should go after her?" Seth asked. "Maybe one of the other guys should -"

"Oh quit trying to put off your work on us," growled the guy beside Seth. "Just so you can spend time with -"

"He's right," the man named Sam said loudly. "She's pissed, and will more than likely go after him right now. Quil, you go."

The guy who smiled at me groaned loudly, but didn't argue. He ran through the break in the trees after Leah.

"What's going on?" Bella asked, pushing through the crowd of guys, with Jake close behind her. "Kate? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," I said, grinning. "Not sure what that was all about, but I'm fine."

"Kate?" Seth turned around and grinned down at me. "Your name is Kate?"

"Yeah," I grinned back, and got locked into his eyes again. We stood there for a moment, before Jacob's voice interrupted us.

"Are you serious?" he laughed. "Oh my God, I can't believe that just happened."

"What?" Bella looked as confused as I felt.

Jake whispered something into her ear, and her eyes grew wide. She clapped a hand over her mouth and stared at me for a moment before blurting out, "That's what Alice meant!"

"What?" Sam looked at her in confusion. "What about Alice?"

"She wouldn't let her change," Bella said quickly. "When Edward finally agreed to let me come, Alice suddenly couldn't see her anymore. It makes sense."

"Oh." Everyone around seemed to agree that this made prefect sense, but I was still confused.

"Sorry, what makes sense?"

"Um…?" Everyone looked at Seth, who looked scared out of his wits.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Nothing important, anyway. I'll tell you later."

Seth POV

I couldn't believe my luck. I had found her! My imprint, my soul mate, the one I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. And I couldn't have possibly been happier about it, at least not until Leah had interrupted and almost ruined everything. Luckily Sam and the guys had been close by, or else there would have been a major damage done.

Quil took my shift on patrol, both so Leah wouldn't kill me and so I could spend time with her. I couldn't thank him enough, although he really hadn't had a choice. That didn't really matter to me right now, I just wanted to be with her.

Kate. What a perfect name. But it suited her; she was perfect. As we moved across the sand to the fire, she walked gracefully, her long legs moving her over the holes and hills almost effortlessly. The dress she wore swirled around them in the breeze, but she didn't seem to care. My eyes traveled up her body, taking in her broad hips, tiny waist and the swell of her bosom. I tried not to stare like a pervert, but she was just so perfect that I couldn't keep my eyes off her. Her neck was long and graceful, but I didn't know how she managed to hold her head up with its mass of reddish-brown curls. And her face, oh it was the face of an angel. Her eyes were wide and blue, almost purple in colour. She had a long, straight nose, and full, bow shaped lips. Her skin was flawlessly pale.

She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, and caught me staring at her, but couldn't peel my gaze off her. I hoped to God she didn't think I was a creep, so I grinned at her. She grinned back, so I figured I was safe.

I led her to a seat on an old log, hoping that I could sit as close to her as I possibly could. She smiled and sat, her eyes closing for a moment as she breathed in the fresh air.

"Do you want some food?" I asked her hesitantly. "I can get you something."

"No, that's okay," she said, standing back up. "I can get it."

She walked to the table where my mom and Emily were dishing out food, and I followed closely behind her, watching as her hips swayed with each step.

"Seth?" I looked up and saw my mom looking at me wryly, one eyebrow raised. I grinned innocently at her.

Kate was walking along the table, picking out her food and setting them on her plate. She was also talking to Emily, and I heard her laugh at something Emily told her.

"Seth," Mom said again, and I looked at her. She was serious this time. "I'm happy for you, Bunny." I usually didn't mind when she used my childhood nickname, but now I glanced at Kate to make sure she didn't hear. She was on her way back to her seat.

"Thanks, Mom," I said.

"And stop looking at her like that," she smirked. "I know she's beautiful, but I taught you to treat women better than that."

"I know," I muttered, now ashamed. "I couldn't help it, though, I mean, I am a guy."

"Not an excuse, Seth," she said sternly. "Now go see her."

I nodded and hurried across the beach to where she was sitting. I sat down about six inches away from her, and began to eat, trying not to look like a complete pig, but hey, I was hungry. We ate in silence.

After a while, Bella and Jake came to sit with us.

"How are you doing?" Bella asked. "You cold yet?"

"A bit," she laughed. "I don't know why Alice wouldn't let me put my pants back on."

I was glad she didn't, and made a mental note to thank Alice when I saw her next. Partially because I got to look at the body of the stunning girl in front of me (yes, I am ashamed of myself), but also because now I could warm her up.

"You're cold?" I asked innocently, sliding closer to her so that our thighs were touching, and laid my arm around her shoulders. I felt a spark go through me, and grinned. "Here, better?"

She stiffened slightly, and I was suddenly scared that she would reject me, but then she leaned into my side slightly and relaxed.

"Yeah, actually," she said with a grin. "You're really warm, you know."

"Yeah," I laughed. "So I've been told."

"By who?" she asked, suddenly a bit colder. "Your girlfriend?"

"What? No!" I exclaimed quickly. "No, I don't have a girlfriend."

She relaxed again, and a small smile spread across her face. "Okay, good. I wouldn't feel right about this if you did, but I think I'm too cold to give you up right now."

I grinned down at her, and she smiled back, her eyes boring into mine. Like before, my breath caught in my chest and I couldn't look away. I would willingly stay like this forever, I decided.

"Story time!" called Brady, running to his seat on the other side of the fire. As he ran by, his feet kicked sand up into the air.

"Ah!" Kate gasped as it ht her.

Suddenly, I was livid. That could have went in her eye! Why was he so careless?

"Watch it!" I yelled at him.

Brady and Colin both looked at me in shock, and I realized that I was shaking. One arm was around Kate, and she could feel my tremors.

"Hey," she said softly, laying a hand on my leg. "It's fine. No big."

Immediately, I relaxed again, and turned to look at her. She had settled into my side, soaking up as much of my warmth as she could and was now facing Sam, who was starting to tell stories. I gazed at her face, intensely glad that Sam wasn't telling _the _stories tonight, just some silly little ones, and then some ghost stories. As much as I loved to hear the stories of the tribe's beginnings, I didn't think right now was the best time to introduce them to Kate.


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you think?" Bella said, looking at me. "Think it's time to head back?"

"Yeah." I replied. "Edward is probably getting worried about you."

No sooner had I said it, than Bella's phone began to ring. She dug in her jacket pocket and pulled it out and answered it quickly with a grin.

"Hi, Edward," she said. "Yeah, we've just finished up. We'll meet you at the border in about twenty minutes, okay?"

He spoke for a minute, and she looked at me with a smirk. "Was there anything interesting that happened? Oh, yeah, I think so. I'll tell you later, okay. Bye."

She hung up and looked at Jake. "Edward's coming to get us now. We should probably head back."

"Should we not help to clean up?" I asked, not wanting to leave the mess for the others to clean up.

"It's fine," Jacob assured me. "Emily and Sue don't expect you to clean up; you're the guest."

I hesitated, and then shrugged. "Okay, but I still feel bad."

"Don't," Jake grinned. "Come on, let's get you girls back. If I'm late, Edward -" I noticed the poison in his voice when he said the name "-will never let you come back."

Bella and Jake stood up, and I followed suit, brushing off the sand that was on my bottom from the log. I was surprised when Seth stood, too.

"I'll walk back with you guys," he said to Jake. "Make sure you don't kidnap these two or anything."

"Yeah, okay," the older boy grinned down at him and shook his head. "Let's go."

I scooped up my shoes and followed Bella and Jake across the beach and into the woods. The moment I stepped out of the sand and onto the hard packed dirt floor of the forest, I stopped, and slipped back into my shoes. It wasn't as easy to walk with them on now, as I was beginning to fall asleep, but I figured it was better than walking barefoot and stepping on a stick, or rock, or animal poop or something of the sort.

"How are you walking in those?" Seth asked, walking behind me.

"I'm used to it," I laughed. "I wear heels a lot, actually."

"Not in the woods, though, I'm sure," he persisted. "You're just so graceful."

I felt my face flame with the blush, and I grinned like an idiot. "Well, thank you. I don't try to be, though. It's just me."

There was a cracking in the trees not far to my right, and when I glanced up; my eyes caught those of an animal in the woods. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was huge. Bear, maybe? But I wasn't sure.

"What is that?" I cried, stopping abruptly so that Seth had to wrap his arms around me to keep me from falling when he walked into me. The animal growled, and I felt Seth tense from behind me.

"It's nothing," he assured me. "It's not going to hurt you. Just keep walking."

He seemed to be angry, and I thought that maybe he was keeping something from me. I did as he asked, however, and kept moving along the path. Bella and Jacob were waiting for us by the truck.

"What was that?" Jake asked, and I thought I heard Seth mutter something that sounded like 'Leah'.

Jake rolled his eyes and opened the truck door. "She'll get over it man, just give her some time."

Seth nodded, and opened the passengers door for Bella and I. Bella climbed in, rather clumsily, I had to admit, but when I tried to step in, Seth put out an arm to stop me. He grinned and hopped in himself, and then patted his lap.

"What?"

"Hop on," he laughed.

"What, on you?" I smirked at him. "Come on, I'm too heavy for that."

"Well, I think that I'm too heavy to sit on you," he replied. "And you're tiny, so come on."

I sighed loudly, but figured that it would be useless to argue with him, so I stepped up into the truck, and Seth settled me comfortably in his lap, with my back cradled against his chest. I was careful not sit too heavily in one particular area, but I don't think he would have noticed if I had. He encircled my waist with his warm arms, and I leaned back against him. I had never felt so comfortable in my life.

When we pulled off the road a few minutes later, I saw that Edward's Volvo was already waiting for us.

"God, how did he get here so fast?" I asked, climbing down from the truck's cab. "I thought we'd be waiting for him, not the other way around."

"I rarely have to wait for Edward," Bella said.

"Yeah, especially after being with me, eh?" Jake said, but there was no trace of humor in his voice anymore. I looked at him quickly, and he was glaring in Edward's direction.

Jake and Seth walked us to the front of the truck, and then stopped.

"So, I'll see you later, I guess," Seth said, looking at me sadly.

"Yeah, I'll see you around." I was oddly sad to be leaving. "Maybe we can hang out some time this week?"

"Yeah?" he looked up at me, his face lighting up like a child's. "You really want to?"

"For sure," I laughed.

"Cool!" he reached for me, and pulled me into a tight hug. I hugged him back, and laid my cheek against his chest. He was the perfect height, I decided. My head fit right underneath his, so he was resting his head on top of mine. I felt safe and never wanted to let go.

I heard Bella cough from behind me, and I reluctantly pulled away. Seth hesitated for a moment, as though he wasn't going to let me go, and then relaxed his arms down to his sides.

"Just call me at Bella's," I said to him, walking backwards to Edward's car. "I'll be up for anything."

"I'll call," he promised. "Don't worry about that."

I turned and ran across the road to Edward's car and jumped in the backseat. Bella got in beside him, and Edward scowled.

"You two smell!" he growled, rolling down the window. "Urg, I don't know how you can stand it, Bella."

"Shh!" she hissed at him. "Shut up, Edward!"

"What?" he asked, lowering his voice. "I thought Seth…"

"But no one told her," Bella mumbled. "So just shush."

"Told me what?" I asked sleepily from the backseat.

"Nothing," Bella said quickly. "It's really nothing. You'll find out later."

"Why does everyone keep saying that to me?" I snapped. "First Seth, and now you. It's really annoying."

"So, you and Seth, huh?" Edward asked quickly to change the subject.

I felt my face flush again, and I had to fight back a grin. "What about me and Seth?" I feigned ignorance.

He looked at me in the rear view mirror and smiled at me. "Nothing, I just thought you guys looked pretty cozy when you were saying goodbye," he teased.

I didn't think it was possible for my face to redden anymore, but apparently it could. I shook my head and looked out the window.

"I just met him, so don't be foolish," I was tired and leaned my head back against the seat. "Besides, he can do better than me; he's beautiful."

"You don't see yourself very clearly, you know that, right?" Bella turned and looked at me. "You really are beautiful. And Seth though so, too."

I smiled weakly at her, and closed my eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on, just tell me!"

"Not a chance, kiddo!" Dad laughed loudly as we drove through town. "You'll find out when we get there."

"You are an absolutely terrible father," I pouted. "Someone else would have given in by now."

"Someone else hasn't had twenty years to build a resistance to your puppy eyes," Dad laughed, turning off the main road and onto an old, dirt one that was almost hidden by the thick foliage on either side of it. It stood out only because of the sign that was placed at the end of it. I glanced at the sign as we drove past it, and I gasped, turning back to my father quickly. He was grinning broadly, but didn't look at me.

"You're joking," I squealed, my voice rising in excitement. "Dad, are you serious?"

"I told you that you'd enjoy this," he laughed as I threw myself across the car to hug him. "There was no reason to worry."

The road widened, and I saw the property laid out in front of me. The big, red house stood on top of a small hill, overlooking the pastures filled with highly bred horses. The barns stood tall and proud, much nicer and better kept than any house I've ever been in. Behind the barns were the rings, and I couldn't help but squeal again.

When my mother and father were still married, after begging for months, I had been put into riding lessons for my seventh birthday. I had taken to it immediately, and had fallen in love. As the years passed, I became a stronger and stronger rider, going on to win many awards and ribbons. When mom had left, there was no one to take me on a regular basis, and also funds were scarce, so I had dropped back to taking one lesson a week instead of three, and in my graduation year, I had made the hard decision to stop altogether, just until I graduated. But when I had started Nursing school, I found that I had no time to ride. So, despite still loving the sport, I hadn't been on the back of a horse in four years.

"I knew that you were missing this," Dad said quietly, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. "So I asked Charlie if there were any reputable stabled anywhere near, and signed you up for lessons for the summer."

"Dad, you didn't have to do that," I whispered, tears coming to my eyes. "But thank you so much for it!"

We got out of the car, and Dad and I walked towards the barn, where we were met by a thin, blonde woman in breeches. She grinned when she saw us coming, and put down the brush that she was using on the gigantic bay gelding in the aisle.

"Hi!" she called, waving us in. "You must be Kate?" I nodded, and she smiled again. "Welcome to my farm; I'm Marge Duncan. So, your father told me that you were interested in taking lessons, but he wasn't sure what level you were at. Could you tell me?"

"I rode at an advanced level," I told her, but then quickly added, "but that was over four years ago, so I've probably lost at least half of everything I knew."

"Alright," she smiled. "We'll start you out as an intermediate for a couple of lessons, and see where you are, and then we'll upgrade you when you're ready. Sound good to you?"

"Yeah," I replied enthusiastically. "That sounds great. So when is my first lesson?"

"Well," she said, looking at the large whiteboard calendar she had hanging on the wall. "I'm free for the next two hours, so if you want, we can start now."

"Oh!" I was thrilled. "Yeah, for sure. But I don't have my boots of breeches."

"They're in the car, Katy," Dad said from behind me. "I brought them with us. In the trunk."

"Oh my God, Dad, you're the best!" I hugged him tightly before running off to the car to get my riding gear."

"You can change in here," Marge said, opening the door to a bathroom for me. "Then I'll introduce you to some of the horses, and you can take your pick."

I nodded, grinning, and hurried into the bathroom.

"Good job!" Marge called to me from the middle of the arena. "Great form."

I grinned at the complement, and continued past her at a very forward trot. My mount was a tall chestnut gelding named Thank God Its Friday (just Friday for short) and he was full of energy. I barely had to touch my heels to his flanks before he took off, and it took a bit more rein and seat to hold him back. I loved him.

"Alright," Marge called. "I think that's enough for today. Let him have a loose rein and walk him around for a bit, then you can hop off."

I nodded, and let Friday's reins hang loose. He dropped his head to the ground and really stretched out his back as he walked around the arena. After a few minutes, I laid my hand on his neck and decided that he was cool enough to jump off. Quickly running up the stirrups and loosening the girth, I gathered up the reins and walked him over to where Marge was leaning against the fence, talking with my father.

"All done?" she asked, smiling at me. "Good. Let's head down and untack."

Friday took a long drink from the water bucket, and then walked quickly through the woods to meet up with his herd. I watched him go, smiling, and then walked back to the barn.

"Thanks a lot," I said to Marge. "I really missed this."

"Don't worry about it," she replied. "Honestly, you're one of my best students. It's nice when someone knows what I'm talking about when I tell them to switch diagonals every once in a while."

I laughed with her and then turned to hug my father. "Thanks, Dad."

"It's not a problem, Sweetheart," he hugged me back. "It's good to see you on a horse again; I've missed it."

"Not as much as I have," I grinned. "So, when can I come back?"

"Well," Marge looked over the calendar. "How early is too early for you? I have every morning at seven, if that's not too early."

"No, that's actually perfect," I said quickly. "I've always preferred to ride early in the mornings."

"Me too." Marge looked at the calendar for a moment, and then looked back at me. "How about coming on Tuesdays and Thursdays? I'd suggest coming Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but since you just started again it's probably a good idea not to push too much."

"Agreed," I laughed, running my hands over my hips. "I can tell that I'm going to be sore enough after today."

"Okay, so that's settled. Tuesday and Thursday are good. I'll see you then."

As we pulled in the driveway, Bella ran outside to meet me. Her face looked worried.

"Where were you?" she asked, dragging me out of the car. In the near distance, I heard the howl of a wolf, and I shivered. Dad laughed and walked into the house.

"I went riding," I grinned. "I'm taking lessons again. Why?"

"You had us worried," Edward said, walking up behind me. He wrapped his arm around Bella. "We didn't know where you went off to."

"You should have told me," Bella frowned. She took me by the hand and led me into the house.

"Well, I had no idea," I said quickly. "I didn't know where I was going until I got there; Dad surprised me. I'm sorry you were worried."

"It's not us that you have to apologize to," Edward said stiffly, picking up the phone. "It's Seth."

Just then, the phone rang. I looked at Edward strangely, and took it from him.

"Hello?"

"Kate?" Seth's voice rang through the phone, his relief almost tangible. "Thank God you're okay. I was going mental."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, my face blushing slightly. "I didn't mean to worry you."

"Where were you?"

"I was out with my Dad," I explained. "It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? I called, like _you _told me to, and you weren't there, and no one knew where you went! And you were gone for hours! I was tempted to run around Forks looking for you." He was now angry, and I flinched at the hardness in his voice.

"Well, I'm sorry," I snapped. I was angry, too. Who did he think he was to be so mad at me for hanging out with my father? "When I told you to call, I thought I was going to be here. I didn't know that my Dad had something planned for today. And even if I did, it's none of your business. You have no right to be mad at me."

The phone line went deadly quiet, and I noticed that Bella and Edward were standing against the wall, staring at me, but I ignored them. I had a hard time to control my temper sometimes, and when I lost it, I almost always regretted it immediately. I sighed.

"Seth?"

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, all traces of anger gone from his voice. "You're right; it is none of my business."

"No," I said softly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you; you were just worried. But I didn't know that I was going somewhere today, otherwise I wouldn't have told you to call."

"Okay." He was quiet for a moment. "So, what are you doing today?"

"Um, nothing I don't think," I replied. "Just going to grab some food or something."

"Do you want to come to Emily's for lunch?" he asked quickly. "Then we can hang out or something afterwards?"

"Sure," I agreed. "That sounds good."

"Great!" he cried enthusiastically. "I'll send someone to get you. Be ready in twenty minutes, okay."

Before I could reply, Seth had hung up. I looked at the phone for a minute, smiling like an idiot.

"I'll take it that you've made up?" Charlie asked, walking in to get another beer from the fridge.

I nodded, and he grinned.

"That boy's been calling here every fifteen minutes for the past three hours," Charlie smirked. "Seems like you've got yourself an admirer, Kate."

I blushed madly and opened my mouth to reply, but Dad beat me to the punch.

"What boy?" he asked quickly, frowning. "You didn't tell me about any boy, Katy."

"He's just a guy that I met last night at the bonfire," I said quickly. "He wants me to go hang out with him today."

"And you said no, right?"

"Um…no, Dad, I didn't." I was surprised by how upset my father was. He usually didn't care what I did; he knew I was responsible. "I'm going to hang out with him and some friends. Someone is coming to pick me up, now."

"Well, I don't want you to go," Dad said firmly, crossing his arms across his chest. "You don't even know this boy."

"Yeah," I replied, getting angry again. "That's kind of the reason I'm going to hang out with him; to get to know him."

"You're not going," Dad almost yelled.

"Yes, I am!" I snapped. "You can't stop me, Dad. I'm not a kid anymore; I'm twenty years old."

"You're twenty?" Bella asked quickly.

"Yes!"

"Oh." She and Edward shared a look, but neither of them said anything.

"Come on, Vince," Charlie said, laying a hand on my father's shoulder. "Let's go watch the game."

"How the hell do you expect me to watch the game?" Dad snapped. "My daughter is going out the door to meet a guy she doesn't even know. He could be a complete pervert, for all I know."

"Well," Charlie laughed, dragging my father into the living room. "I know what it's like, Vince, but you can't keep them from going out and doing their own thing. And I know he's not a pervert. Seth's a good kid. Harry raised him right."

"Harry?" Dad stopped and looked at Charlie for a minute. "You mean Harry Clearwater?"

"The one and only," Charlie replied. "Seth is Harry's son."

"Oh." Dad looked back at me. "Well, I guess that's alright, then. But isn't he a little -"

I didn't hear what Dad said, because his last few words were drowned by a loud horn honking. Edward growled lowly, and Bella waved through the kitchen window, a huge grin pasted on her face.

"Jake's here," she said looking at me, and then glancing at Edward. "I'll walk you out."

"No, you won't," Edward said quickly.

"Oh, come on, Edward," I laughed heading for the door. "She's perfectly fine."

Jacob was waiting outside for me, leaning against the side of his truck, and grinned when he saw Bella following me outside.

"Hey!" he said, hugging her tightly. "I didn't think you'd be allowed out to see me."

"He doesn't own her," I scoffed. Jake looked at me, and smirked.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

I looked down and realized that I was still dressed in my breeches and boots. "Oh, shit!" I smacked my forehead and groaned. "I forgot to change."

"It's fine," he said, grinning at me. "We have to go if you want there to be any food left for you. And besides, I think that this will be a popular look."

I blushed, knowing exactly what he was talking about. My breeches were tight, almost like a second layer of skin on my legs, and I looked good in them. My boots went to my knees, and the dark leather only accentuated the tan colour of the pants.

"Just get in," I laughed. "I'll see you later, Bella."

"Bye, Kate," she laughed, walking back towards the house. "See you later, Jake."

Edward was waiting for her on the doorstep, and he and Jacob locked eyes for a moment, scowling at one another. I heard Jacob growl lowly under his breath before starting the truck.

"You two really don't like each other, do you?" I asked him. "You and Edward."

"How could you tell?" he asked sarcastically, not taking his eyes off the road.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, if you're going to be cranky, I won't talk to you."

I sat up straighter in my seat, crossed my arms over my chest and looked out the window at the passing trees.

Jacob sighed beside me. "No, me and Edward -"

"Edward and I," I corrected automatically.

"What?" Jake glanced at me, confused.

"It's 'Edward and I'," I said sheepishly, still not looking at him. "To be grammatically correct."

He looked at me for a moment as though I was insane, and then chuckled softly. "Okay, I'm sorry. Edward and I, - better? - don't like each other. He thinks I'm going to hurt her, and I…well, I just don't think he's the right guy for Bella."

"Oh," I said softly, understanding. "And you think you are?"

He glared at me; I could feel the anger radiating off him.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly, looking at him. "I didn't mean it like that. But, why don't you think he's the right guy? They seem pretty well matched, to me."

"Well they're not," he snapped. "He's not good for her. You'll understand soon enough."

I looked at him, and shrugged. "Alright, whatever you say."

Jacob's knuckles were white, he was gripping the steering wheel so hard. But that still didn't stop the tremors that were racing through his body. His face was twisted into an ugly scowl, and I was honestly a little scared of him.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, leaning away from him. "I'm sorry for making you so mad."

Jake looked at me, and must have saw how scared I was, because his face immediately relaxed. "It's alright, Kate. It's not you I was mad at. I'm sorry for getting so angry."

I nodded, but didn't say anything. A moment later, we pulled into the yard of a small, cabin-like house. It was painted a pale yellow, and had a well-manicured yard. I loved it immediately.

"Oh, this is so cute!" I exclaimed, jumping out of the truck.

Jake laughed. "Emily will be happy to hear that." Then he sobered, and stopped me. "You've met Emily, right?"

"Um, yeah, I think so," I said, frowning as I tried to remember. "Is she the one with the -"

"Scars," Jake nodded. "Okay, I was just going to warn you not to stare, but you've already met, so that's fine." He put a hand behind my back and led closer to the house.

"Stare?" I looked up at him. "Because of her scars? Why would I do that? There's nothing wrong with it, she's still one of the most beautiful girls that I have ever seen."

Jake grinned. "I'm glad you think so. And she's one of the nicest people ever, too."

We had almost made it to the front steps when the door was suddenly pulled open. Seth stood there for a moment, grinning, and then ran down to meet us.

"Hey!" he cried, running towards us. He picked me up off the ground in a tight hug and spun me around in a circle. "How are you doing?"

"Good," I laughed, holding on to him for balance. "So what's the plan for this afternoon?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," Seth replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "But for now, I want to introduce you to my family."

Seth took me by the hand and led me up the stairs and into the house. The first person I saw, sitting at the table loading his plate up, was Jacob.

"Didn't take you long to get in here," I laughed, slapping his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder and grinned at me.

"Well, you know Jake," Seth said. "I just have to introduce you to everyone else. Kate, this is Jared, and his girlfriend, Kim -" he pointed to the boy sitting beside Jake and the girl sitting next to him. Both smiled at me, and the girl, Kim, gave a small wave "-that is Quil, and Embry, and Paul." The first two smiled at me, but the third man looked me up and down, and gave me a saucy grin. I felt Seth stiffen beside me, and growl. The man, his name was Paul, shrugged, and went back to shovelling food into his mouth. Seth shook his head, and ignored him. "That there is Sam; he and Emily own this place."

"It's nice to meet you, officially," I said quickly, and he held out his hand to shake mine.

"You too, Kate," he grinned. "You're welcome here anytime."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"And this is Emily," Seth said, leading me around the table to where Emily was setting another bowl on the table.

"Hi!" she smiled at me and pulled me into a hug. "It's good to see you again, Kate. Did you have fun last night?"

"Yeah," I replied quickly. "It was a lot of fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Do you want food?" Seth asked me quietly. "I'll grab you some now, if you do. You probably won't be able to even get in at the table."

I nodded, and he smiled down at me.

"You can go sit on the deck," he suggested. "It's nice out today, so we can eat out there."

"Yeah, sure," I agreed, and headed back outside.

I sat on the steps to the deck, waiting for Seth to come back out when I heard someone walking towards me from the woods. I glanced up quickly, and saw the angry girl stalking towards me, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a tank top.

"Hi," I said, smiling pleasantly at her. She scowled at me, and ran up the steps, not saying a word. The door slammed behind her.

"Here you go."

I gasped and nearly jumped out of my skin, causing Seth to almost drop a plate of food on me. I looked up at him, my mouth hanging open.

"What?" he asked quickly. "What did I do?"

"You scared the crap out of me," I exclaimed, clutching my chest. "I didn't even hear you coming out."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said quickly, sitting beside me on the steps. "I didn't mean to."

"It's fine," I laughed, now somewhat embarrassed. "I just have bad nerves, I guess."

We sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, just eating our food and enjoying each other's company. I was blatantly aware of how closely we were sitting to one another; our feet were almost touching the other, and our shoulders brushed against the others every few minutes. I could feel the heat radiating off him in waves, which I was thankful for; it was helping to hold off the chill in the air.

"So why are you so hot?" I asked quickly, without thinking.

Seth looked up at me, surprised at my question, and then grinned. He put down his now empty plate and looked at me.

"Define the meaning of 'hot'."

I felt my face start to flame and I looked away from him, unable to say a word.

"If you mean hot as in good-looking, it's just genes," he replied, still grinning. "And if you meant hot as in temperature, than it's because I have a temperature."

"You have a temperature?" I asked, looking at him. He didn't look sick otherwise, but if he had a temperature, he should be at home in bed. I was surprised at how concerned I was about this boy.

"Yep," he announced proudly. "I'm running at 108°."

"What?" I jumped up from my seat and pressed a hand to his forehead. He did seem to be dangerously hot. "Seth, you need to go to the hospital! That's really dangerous. You should actually be dead already; how are you feeling?"

"Whoa," he said quickly, taking my hand away from his face and holding it between his own. "Calm down, Kate, I'm perfectly fine."

"No, Seth, you're not," I exclaimed. "You really should go to the doctor."

"Look, you said I should be dead, right?" He looked me directly in the eye, his thumb rubbing circles on my hand and wrist, and somehow, I was able to calm down. I nodded. "Well, I'm not. I feel great. I'm just…a little different than most people. I'm always this hot."

I looked at him doubtfully, one eyebrow arched high. "Are you sure you're okay? I don't want you to get sick."

"I don't get sick," he assured me. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

He took my plate and handed it behind me, to Emily. I hadn't noticed that she was there, but the door to the house was open, and the doorway was crammed with the guys from inside. The man, Sam, was standing directly behind Emily, his hand on her back, and he looked concerned.

"Do you guys know that he's hot?" I asked him, and several of the guys sniggered. Sam grinned too, but just nodded.

"All of the guys run a high temperature," Emily told me. "It's perfectly normal, or at least as normal as they get." She looked up at Sam, and after giving her a playful scowl, he leant down and kissed her tenderly.

"Let's go," Seth said, holding his hand out to me.

"Where are you taking her, Seth?"

Seth looked at Sam, and exchanged a look with him that I didn't understand. "We're just going down to the beach."

"Be careful," I heard Sam warn, before he led Emily back inside and closed the door.

Seth took my hand and we walked down a trail in the woods until we came to the beach. He led me across the sand to a small pile of boulders, and we sat down on them.

"This is a nice spot," I said, looking around.

"Yeah," Seth replied. "This is my favorite spot in the world. It's just so quiet; it's a good place to think." I couldn't help but notice that he seemed anxious about something. Maybe he really was sick, and the temperature was affecting his brain.

I laid my hand on top of his. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he replied, smiling at me. "Yeah, I'm fine." He was quiet for another minute, before asking me, "Do you want to play a game?"

"Um…sure?" This was the last thing that I had expected him to say. "Why not? What do you want to play?"

"How about twenty questions?" Seth said happily. "I like that game."

"Sure," I laughed.

Seth leant back against the rocks, and I cuddled into his side. He wrapped his arm around me, and I had never felt so comfortable in my life.

"What's your favorite colour?" he asked quickly.

"Wait a minute," I sat up, glaring playfully at him. "Who said you got to start?"

"I did," he laughed. "But you can start if you really want to."

"Alright then." I sat for a moment, trying to think of a good question, but drew a blank. After a moment, I sheepishly asked, "What's your favorite colour?"

"I don't think so," Seth laughed indignantly. "If you're going first, than you can't reuse my question. Find a new one."

"Alright," I laughed with him. "What's your favorite type of music?"

"I listen to a lot of different stuff," he said, thinking. "I don't think I really have a favorite. What about you?"

"I'm a country girl," I laughed, and Seth scoffed at me. "Don't laugh! Country's the best; there's a song for every situation imaginable. So what's your favorite movie?"

"Fast Five."

"Really?" I asked. "That's one of mine, too. What's your favorite animal?"

"A wolf," he replied almost immediately. "Yours?"

"Horse," I told him. "Why a wolf? That's kind of random." I felt him tense slightly at my question, but then he forced himself to relax.

"A wolf is more random than a horse?" he raised an eyebrow and I looked right at him. "How is that?"

"Um…well, you can at least ride a horse," I said quickly.

Seth grinned impishly at me, his eyes reduced almost to slits at the size of his smile. "You can ride wolves, too, if you want to."

I looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm going nowhere near a wolf, thank you very much. I would prefer not to be eaten."

"They don't eat people," he said quickly. "They would never hurt you. Never."

I was a little disturbed by the intensity in his gaze; I mean, I just met the man. "Are we going to keep playing?" I asked.

He nodded, but he seemed to be more serious now, and he wasn't smiling. "Do you believe in the supernatural?"

I was surprised at the question. "You mean like ghosts and vampires, and that sort of thing?"

"And werewolves, yeah."

"Um…well, I believe in ghosts," I said slowly. "But I don't think it's even possible for the others."

"What if it was?" he asked, his eyes boring into mine. "If it was possible, if there were werewolves, would you accept that?"

"Why are you asking me this?" I sat up and pulled myself away from him. I wasn't the least bit amused.

"What if I told you they were real?" he said quickly, taking my hand. "Werewolves and…vampires." He nearly spat the word.

"Then I would tell you that you're crazy," I said, pulling my hand away from him. "Maybe we should head back."

Seth's face fell, and I felt bad for hurting him. But then I remembered what he was telling me, and I got angry again.

"Yeah, okay," he said softly. "Let's go."


End file.
